How effective are the national associations (i.e., the AAOM and the Acupuncture
Alliance) in meeting the needs of the acupuncture and Oriental medicine
profession in the United States?

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AnonymousSomewhat ineffective While the AAOM and the Alliance have been
effective in supporting individual states to get basic licensing laws passed,
they have achieved little else. Since the Alliance was founded in 1994 with
the support of the Council of Colleges, they have supported the profitibility
of teaching over that of the profitability of practicing. The result is
that many graduates find themselves entering a lower-tier health profession
that can hardly provides enough income to keep us out of poverty. nettlesbgood@msn.comSomewhat effective There is more work to be done! Acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine are strong on the coasts but in Illinois we still
require written referrals!
AnonymousVery effective Regarding the previous comments on the Arkansas
Bill SB 115, this Bill has ended up where it belongs -- on the trash heap
-- as the Bill would have gutted high licensure standards in the state.

Given the political "legs" the Bill had initially, the defeat of this horrendous
Bill would not have been possible had not all the national organizations
worked in concert to defeat it. This goes to show what can be accomplished
when the national organizations work together for the best interests of
the profession!
Anonymous Just a comment on the prior comment unfairly attacking AAOM
relative to the new licensure Bill being considered in Arkansas -- and attacking
certain members of the AAOM Board based on unsubstantiated speculation.
AAOM opposes SB 115, as do ALL the other national OM associations since
the Bill "guts" national standards and proposes to adopt provisions for
new AR Board members which would be lower than the standards for licensees
in virtually every other state. The Bill also would give the AR Acupuncture
Association (which was dumped from AAOM for promoting low standards) control
over who serves on the AR Acupuncture Board.

The proponents of this Bill were purportedly offered the option of removing
the current AR Board without gutting national standards or adopting low
standards for service on the AR Board, but the proponents would not agree
with this reasonable compromise. This clearly exposes the real intent of
these folks to lower standards in the state. If this Bill was only about
eliminating a "dysfunctional Board" as the author of the prior note asserts,
then they would have agreed to the compromise without attempting to destroy
the practice act in the state. If this Bill passes, AR will have the reputation
as having the lowest standards for licensure and for service on an Acupuncture
Board in the nation. The only reason this Bill has any legs is because the
Bill's proponents have pumped so much money into AR legislator's pockets
-- only in AR could such a terrible Bill have gotten so far!!!

Readers of this note should check out the AAOM web site to download relevant
information for opposing this terrible Bill.

Rather than being chastised, AAOM should be strongly applauded for taking
a leadership role in opposing this bad Bill.
AnonymousVery ineffective Everything that I have read, including articles
in Acupuncture Today and the HIPAA compliance manual that I purchased, assumes
that the health care provider will need to be in full (maximum) compliance
with HIPAA because the health care provider will be either a "covered entity"
or need to sign a "Business Associate Agreement" I believe that is an incorrect
assumption. Some of this could be due to HIPAA experts trying to increase
attendance at HIPAA seminars as AAOM is currently emailing people about.
I believe that most acupuncturists, myself included, do not do insurance
work, so they would not be classified as a "covered entity" or need to sign
a "Business Associate Agreement" with an insurance company, laboratory,
imaging center, etc. Therefore, I believe the focus for most acupuncturists
should be on doing the absolute minimum, whatever that may be, to comply
with HIPAA mandates and not waste time doing the maximum--privacy manual,
audits etc.. beansoup@sprynet.comSomewhat effective We want to see acupuncture services paid
by medicare. This should be our number one priority. We need to lobby congress
to add an acupuncture benefit to all federal employee health insurance plans
as well. Just find out who to pay off (Congress) and get on with it. All
of this argueing about hours and turf is a waste of time.
AnonymousVery effective Although the national organizations got off to
a rocky start due to the battles over philosophy and direction for the profession,
they now appear to be working together and improving their responsiveness
to the profession. The recent visioning process to establish a national
vision for the profession will go along way toward acheiving the goal of
a more effective profession. heavenhalo1@yahoo.comVery effective I absolutely love acupuncture.It works everytime.
AnonymousVery ineffective The American Assn. of Oriental Medicine has
two committe members that are sitting on the Acupuncture Board of Arkansas.
One of whom has had CNT violations and complaints about not using disposable
needles against him; the other is not even a resident of the state nor is
he licensed here yet he sits on the board and determines who will get their
lic. renewed. The AOMA has pulled the Arkansas Assn. of Oriental Medicine's
state charter (a 501 c 3 NON PROFIT CORPORATION) yet decides to keep the
Ark. Assn. money for 2003. The reason why sb115 and sb116 WERE CREATED AT
ALL IS THAT A JOINT PERFORMANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE INTERIM STUDY FOUND THE
ACUPUNCTURE BOARD TO BE DYSFUNCTIONAL. FIRST OF ALL, THE STATE BOARD OF
ACUPUNCTURE IS A SOVEREIGN ENTITY, AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT THE BUSINESS
OF THE AOMA OR ANYONE ELSE'S BUSINESS TO INFLUENCE LEGISLATION WHEN THEY
DO NOT PRACTICE HERE, ARE NOT LICENSED HERE, AND DO NOT EVEN BOTHER TO READ
THE ORIGINAL ACUPUNCTURE PRACTICE ACT OF ARK. OF 1997 WHICH ALLOWED GRANDFATHERING
QUALIFIED PRACTITIONERS IN, AND ALSO ALLOWED PRACTITIONERS TO TAKE A ARKANSAS
STATE BOARD APPROVED EXAM. SB 115 HAS AGAIN BEEN AMENDED TO SATISFY ALL
THE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT LIVE OR PRACTICE HERE CONTROL ISSUES AND NOW IS FOCUSING
ON ONLY RESTRUCTURING THE BOARD. IF ALL OF THESE PEOPLE REALLY CARED ABOUT
PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELL=BEING WHY NOT KEEP THE CHIROPRACTORS FROM DOING ACUPUNCTURE
IN ARK. WHEN THEY NEED ONLY 200 HOURS, LIE AND SAY THEY ARE CERTIFIED AND
AT LEAST IN THE TOWN I AM IN USE REUSEABLE NEEDLES THAT ARE NOT PROPERLY
STERILIZED.